Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Compelling Mystery with a Strong Female Lead

And Now She’s Gone introduces a promising new private investigator, Grayson Sykes. As she delves into the mysterious disappearance of Isabel Lincoln, she encounters a web of secrets and a potentially abusive relationship.

Grayson's character is both relatable and intriguing. Her struggles with self-doubt and her determination to help others make her a compelling protagonist. While her tendency to use metaphors can occasionally feel excessive, it adds a unique flair to her personality.

The story explores important themes of domestic abuse and female empowerment. Grayson's own experiences with abuse allow her to empathize with Isabel and provide support.

And Now She’s Gone is a well-paced mystery with a strong female lead. While the excessive use of metaphors can be a minor distraction, the compelling plot and relatable characters make it a worthwhile read.

3 stars

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Rachel Howzell Hall is a truly fantastic writer and she deserves so much more mainstream attention than she gets. This book was tightly written and paced, and just hugely enjoyable.

Disjointed and too many characters to keep straight even though they aren’t adding anything to the story.

I love cat and mouse type books and this one was just that! It's complex, nuanced and such a good read. It was a little long, but the ending is WORTH IT!

DNF @ 30%

I really wanted to like this one but for some reason I just could not get into the story. It had all of the elements I normally love; two timelines, bad ass females and a mystery but I just could not stay invested. I also tried to listen to the audio but that did not help. I will look into her more recent works and maybe one day I will circle back to this one.

A multilayered plot line with a compelling female lead.

While I appreciate that the story focused on domestic abuse, it was more complicated than it had to be.
I found that there were just too many characters and too many metaphors with flashbacks -- and not enough tension, I wouldn't call this a thriller because the suspense never reached the point where the book truly gripped me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review. My TBR list is continuously growing and I keep finding so many amazing books being requested + added to my pile! I have so much gratitude for this copy that has been shared with me.

This was a quick fast paced mystery/thriller. Gray was a complicated main character with lots of secrets. I felt like this was an entertaining read but also largely forgettable.

The book started slow, slowly building up but still keeping the reader engaged until the end, and the ending was worth the wait!

I rated this book 3 stars because it just wasn't for me. I can see why some people loved it. It dragged often and I wasn't looking forward to reading it and didn't fnd myself reaching for it.

Unfortunately, this novel just wasn't for me. I tried to pick it up multiple times but I was never really about to get into it. Thank you netgalley for my free review copy.

AND NOW SHE’S GONE
By Rachel Howzell Hall

On the case, PI Grayson is out to find Isabel. What she finds is more than she expected and more than I anticipated in this first-in-a-series mystery, AND NOW SHE’S GONE by Rachel Howzell Hall.

I think overall this is a case of style differences. This book is an interesting mix of cozy mystery and contemporary fiction. That junction confused me a little. I wanted it to be one or the other and I think the magic of it is that it lies somewhere in between.

The plot and characters are reminiscent of The Stephanie Plum series. So if you are a fan and looking for a newer version with the same dynamics this might be for you.

The investigation is part bounty hunting part feel-good interpersonal entanglements. I think it could be fun for the right reader.

For me it landed around a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Enjoyable and fun read, maybe a little long.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for the advanced copy!

This is an outstanding, powerful, twisty, riveting, surprising, and absolutely unputdownable read. And Now She's Gone is a thriller for the masses. Check this one out!

Absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in from the getgo and had me guessing all the way to the end. Did not want it to end at all.

I didn't finish this book, I didn't hate nor love it. I think you should give it a try but i didn't really read enough for form a solid opinion.

I enjoyed this book overall. It did move slow in some spots and the beginning was hard to follow. It also lots of going back and forth. BUT, I kept going and enjoyed the story and especially the main character, Gray. It was different than most thrillers and Ireally think there might need to be a sequel.

This just didn't grip me the way I wanted it to. I was not very interested in the character or the story and the writing felt clunky.

I tried so hard to get into this one but it just wasn't pulling in my attention so I ended up dnf'ing.

DNF

Th first 10 pages of the book introduce so may names, so many plot points and so much that could have waited but it overwhelemd me to my core

A fierce and unforgettable protagonist.
A witty thriller that keeps you on edge all the time.
A touch of historical components to the recipe.
A tense and intense novel from start to finish.

I love a good mystery book. It is probably one of my favourite genres, together with horror and classics (what a mixture, right?).

And this book is a solid mystery book. The story is hard because of the topics it talks about (abuse against women, domestic violence, etc.) but it is well built and the characters are relatable. Let’s talk about it.

THE STORY

We find Grayson Sykes in Los Angeles working already for two years for a company called Rader Consulting. Work is ok, but she is a bit tired of looking for chihuahuas for rich people. What Grayson really wants to do is to be a private investigator.

Her boss is Dominick Rader, an old friend of hers. Already at this point, we sense something going on between the two of them, but the author is only giving us bits of info, so we have to wait to know what is happening with these two.

Furthermore, something else is going on with Grayson, as she is from the beginning of the book suffering from severe pain as a side effect from a recent laparoscopy. However, she repeats to herself she shouldn’t go to the hospital because there would be “too many questions”.

So one of the two central plots starts when a woman called Isabel Lincoln is missing and Gray starts working in the case.

She tries to investigate Isabel’s last movements and the people around her, the usual. Meanwhile, she has to deal with her own demons.

TWO DIFFERENT PLOTS WHICH COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER

While she investigates Isabel’s disappearance, we also know Gray’s own story, about which I cannot talk about at all, as it is the main turn of the book.

What I can say, is that I like the way the author, Rachel Howzell, blends the two stories and how it all makes sense at the end.

The book is very well written and Howzell’s style is articulate and fluent, even though the topics she writes about are quite hard and horrendous.

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT “AND NOW SHE’S GONE”

“And Now She’s Gone” is a good book. I totally recommend it if you like thrillers or mystery books. This one has as a protagonist a strong, black, female character whom I quite liked. And I really felt for her throughout the whole story. You really feel her pain.

Furthermore, everyone seems to lie, and it was quite fun to try to discover what was going on with all those characters. It has been fun.

On the other hand, the book talks about domestic violence, so please check all the trigger warnings before you read the book. Sometimes the violent scenes are quite intense, but in my opinion they are necessary because it is a topic that the more we speak about it, the better. So go ahead and read it. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
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Thanks to the publisher, Forge Books, the author Rachel Howzell and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of “And Now She’s Gone” for review purposes.